Garlic Scape Pesto with Basil and Pine Nuts
Pulse the garlic scapes in a food processor to finely chop, add the basil, lemon juice, Parmesan and pine nuts, and pulse to combine. Add the microgreens and pulse once more. With the machine running, slowly pour in the olive oil until a smooth paste forms, then season with salt and pepper and pulse again. Store in a jar in the fridge for up to 1 week, or freeze in ice cube trays for up to 6 months.
Each June, garlic plants send up curling green shoots called scapes — a fleeting farmers-market treasure that vanishes almost as quickly as it appears. The knowing cook grabs them and makes pesto. Milder and sweeter than a raw garlic clove, scapes have all the aromatic backbone and none of the harsh bite, which makes them a natural base for a bright, spreadable green sauce that's endlessly useful and easy to preserve.
What Are Garlic Scapes
Scapes are the tender flower stalks of hardneck garlic, harvested in early summer so the plant sends its energy back into the bulb. They taste like garlic gentled — green, grassy, aromatic, and sweet rather than pungent. Because they're mild, you can use them generously; two whole bunches, chopped and pulsed fine, gives this pesto its distinctive character without the sharp heat that raw garlic would bring to a no-cook sauce.
Blending and Storing the Pesto
Build the pesto in stages for the best texture. Pulse the scapes to a fine chop first, then add the basil, cilantro, lemon, Parmesan, and toasted pine nuts and pulse to a coarse, textured blend. With the machine running, stream in the olive oil to blend everything into a smooth, creamy, spreadable paste, and season at the end. To store, press it into a jar and float a thin layer of olive oil on top — that seal keeps it from oxidizing and browning, so it stays vivid green for a week, or six months in the freezer.
Garlic Scape Pesto with Basil and Pine Nuts
Ingredients
Method
- Place the garlic scapes into the bowl of a food processor and pulse to finely chop.
- Add the basil, lemon juice, Parmesan cheese, and pine nuts. Pulse to combine. Add the microgreens and pulse one more time.
- With the machine running, slowly pour in the olive oil. The result will be a smooth paste.
- Stop the machine and season with salt and pepper. Pulse one more time.
- Transfer to a mason jar with lid, or resealable container and store in the fridge for up to 1 week or store in ice cube trays in the freezer for up to 6 months.
The Heart of the Table
There is an old, satisfying wisdom in preserving the season at its peak — capturing something fleeting in a jar so its flavor lasts long after the market stall is gone. A well-stocked larder is a quiet form of hospitality: with a jar of scape pesto on hand, you're always minutes away from feeding someone well, and that readiness is its own kind of generosity.
The Art of the Host
A high-speed food processor is the only real tool required — it does the chopping and blending in one bowl. Toast the pine nuts first for a deeper, nuttier flavor, and keep clean glass jars on hand for storing. The finishing trick is that thin film of olive oil poured over the top before sealing; it's what keeps the pesto bright green instead of dull brown.
Neighborly Grace
- The Preparation: Pulse the scapes fine first, then add the basil, cilantro, pine nuts, and Parmesan and stream in the oil to a creamy paste. It keeps a week in the refrigerator and freezes well, so make a big batch.
- The Pour: However you use it — on pasta, over grilled vegetables — a crisp white wine flatters the fresh, garlicky pesto. For a non-alcoholic option, a sparkling lemon water lets its brightness shine.
- The Vibe: This is the taste of early summer in a jar — vivid green and fragrant, the kind of made-from-scratch staple that quietly elevates whatever it touches.